Jones and Guthrie: Teammates for four seasons, opponents tonight

Jones and Guthrie: Teammates for four seasons, opponents tonight
Jeremy Guthrie pitched for the Orioles from 2007 through 2011, a total of five seasons. For most of the last four years he wore an O's uniform, when he took the mound, Adam Jones was playing behind him in center field. But tonight they compete against each other for the first time. They will be friends off the field, but Jones said he'll be putting that friendship aside once game time hits tonight. "We were teammates four years. Was his teammate," Jones emphasized. "It's the business....
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Miguel Gonzalez talks about heading to the disabled list

Miguel Gonzalez talks about heading to the disabled list
The blister that first showed up on Miguel Gonzalez's right thumb two starts ago and forced him out of his last start after just 80 pitches is now sending Gonzalez to the 15-day disabled list. He was placed on the DL today, retroactive to May 4, and cannot return to the O's active roster until May 19. Alex Burnett was recalled from Triple-A Norfolk and is expected to work out of the bullpen. The O's will need someone to replace Gonzalez on Saturday at Minnesota. "We talked about it, Rick...
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Who's hot and who's not

Who's hot and who's not
Here is a strange stat: The Orioles have been outhit in their last three games, but won each game. Those are the O's only three wins of the season when their opponent has more hits. Despite that, their offense continues to be productive and the Orioles rank second in the American League with 168 runs, behind only the Athletics with 177. Who's hot at bat right now: * Let's start with the kid. Manny Machado is batting .382 (26-for-68) and has hit safely in 15 of his last 16 games with seven...
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Tillman on Johnson, Guthrie on his return (updated)

Tillman on Johnson, Guthrie on his return (updated)
After the Orioles had won their game last night, the result came in from Boston where Minnesota beat the Red Sox 15-8. Former Oriole Pedro Florimon knocked in a career-high three runs and help his former O's teammates move into a first-place tie with Boston at 21-13. While the Orioles have won four in a row, Boston has lost five of its last six games. After Chris Tillman got the win last night against Kansas City, he took some time to talk about teammate Jim Johnson, who tied Randy Myers'...
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Jim Johnson on tying Randy Myers' consecutive saves record and more

Jim Johnson on tying Randy Myers' consecutive saves record and more
Getting Jim Johnson to talk about himself at any length may be harder than trying to hit Jim Johnson, who tonight tied the Orioles' club record with his 34th straight save. But in a rare moment for him, Johnson was asked about his pitching tonight and his evolution into a top closer. He is better at the job now, he feels, than he was when he first got the ball in the ninth. "I think it is more about knowing what kind of pitcher you are," Johnson said. "I do it differently than other...
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Jim Johnson ties club record with 34th straight save as Orioles top K.C.

Jim Johnson ties club record with 34th straight save as Orioles top K.C.
Jim Johnson put his name in the Orioles' record book tonight and Chris Tillman provided a fourth straight quality start in a 5-3 win over Kansas City at Camden Yards. Johnson pitched the ninth inning to record his 13th save in 13 chances on the year. It is his 34th consecutive save conversion, which ties the Orioles team record set by Randy Myers in 1997. Johnson's last blown save was July 30, 2012. Johnson has 71 saves since Sept. 7, 2011 to easily lead the majors in that span. With the...
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Tillman looking for another strong outing tonight against K.C.

Tillman looking for another strong outing tonight against K.C.
Maybe something has to give here tonight. Chris Tillman has pitched very well over his last three starts, but he has not pitched very well at all in three career starts against Kansas City. Tillman makes his seventh start of the year tonight. He is 2-1 with a 3.63 ERA. Over his first three starts, his ERA was 7.07. Over his past three, he is 2-0 with an ERA of 1.31, allowing just 14 hits and three runs over 20 2/3 innings. In his career against K.C., Tillman is 0-2 with an ERA of 10.93. He's...
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Jeremy Guthrie on his return to Baltimore and getting ready to face the Orioles

Jeremy Guthrie on his return to Baltimore and getting ready to face the Orioles
After pitching for five seasons and for nearly 1,000 innings in an Orioles uniform, Jeremy Guthrie will take the mound at Camden Yards tomorrow and pitch against the Orioles for the first time ever. Will that be strange for him? "Not too much," he said this afternoon in the Kansas City clubhouse. "I think enough time has passed and having seen them last year, to be able to say hello and congratulate them on the way they are playing, now it feels like just doing what we do every five...
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Nick Markakis talks about batting as the DH

Nick Markakis talks about batting as the DH
For the third time this season and the second time in the last eight games, Nick Markakis will serve as the Orioles' designated hitter tonight. "It's different," Markakis said about being the DH. "You just have to stay loose, stay stretched and wait for your turn to hit. Haven't done it much, but it's good. It gives me a chance to get my feet back under me. It's a different mindset. It's good every once in a while. "I had talked to Buck (Showalter) earlier in the year and he said he...
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Adam Jones: New year, but same attitude for Orioles

Adam Jones: New year, but same attitude for Orioles
Orioles players have long since moved on from the 2012 season. They know it was the year that put the Orioles back into the playoffs and ended a long run of losing seasons. They also know it won't do them any good this year and they have to play well again to have two successful seasons in a row. But while they have moved on to the new season, there is one aspect of the team that has carried over and Adam Jones talked about it before yesterday's game. "To my calculations, I think it is...
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Matt Hobgood pitching well out of bullpen, will stay there for now

Matt Hobgood pitching well out of bullpen, will stay there for now
The last two seasons, right-hander Matt Hobgood, the Orioles' 2009 first-round pick (fifth overall), went 0-6 with an 8.76 ERA over 37 innings. This season with Single-A Delmarva, the 22-year-old Hobgood is 3-0 with an ERA of 0.90 over 20 innings, allowing just nine hits on two runs with 10 walks and 13 strikeouts. South Atlantic League hitters are batting just .136 against him. Hobgood underwent season-ending shoulder surgery last April 2 and now, just over a year later, he may be in the...
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Jones, Wieters, Chen and Hunter talk after Orioles win over Kansas City

Jones, Wieters, Chen and Hunter talk after Orioles win over Kansas City
Before tonight, Brian Matusz had stranded all 26 inherited runners when coming out of the bullpen. The streak ended tonight when Alex Gordon homered off him with a man on in the seventh to tie the game 3-3. But the Orioles untied it on Matt Wieters' RBI double in the eighth to win 4-3 over Kansas City and improve to 20-13. Adam Jones, who drew his sixth walk of the year to lead off the winning rally, said it was another night where the Orioles won as a team. On a rare night when Matusz saw...
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Wieters' RBI double in eighth gives O's series-opening win over K.C.

Wieters' RBI double in eighth gives O's series-opening win over K.C.
The Orioles have done this before this season - give up the lead, but still win the game. And they did it tonight at soggy Camden Yards as Matt Wieters knocked in three runs in the Orioles' 4-3 win over Kansas City. Wieters began the evening batting just .197 with an OPS of .572 this season against right-handed pitching, but had a two-run double in the first and a tie-breaking RBI double in the eighth off right-handers. In a 3-3 tie, Adam Jones led off the eighth with a walk and reached...
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Miguel Gonzalez provides an update on his thumb blister

Miguel Gonzalez provides an update on his thumb blister
After leaving his last start on Friday at Anaheim after six innings and 80 pitches due to a thumb blister, Miguel Gonzalez could have made his next start this Thursday against Kansas City, but now is expected to have it pushed back to Friday or Saturday. Gonzalez said the blister would not allow him to pitch today, but he figures he will be able to take the mound this weekend. "It's way better. Is it pitchable right now? No, it's not. They are probably going to push me back one or two...
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Back in the lineup, Chris Davis says his right knee is fine

Back in the lineup, Chris Davis says his right knee is fine
Four days after leaving a game with a right knee injury and two days after returning to the lineup, Chris Davis has pronounced himself fine. He is in the lineup tonight and said he is not restricted in any way. Although there were a few moments of concern when he limped off the field Friday at Anaheim. "It was one of those things where you kind of realize you are not invincible," Davis said this afternoon. "I've never had any injuries in my career that caused me to miss some time. But I...
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Strop uncertain if WBC competiton has contributed to his 2013 struggles

Strop uncertain if WBC competiton has contributed to his 2013 struggles
Among the theories out there about why O's relief pitcher Pedro Strop has struggled this season is that he pitched often in the World Baseball Classic. Strop pitched six times in a 13-day span between March 7-19 for the Dominican Republic in the tourney and he pitched very well. He went 6 2/3 innings, allowing just three hits and no runs with no walks and seven strikeouts. Now he has an ERA of 5.79 with the Orioles, has struggled to throw consistent strikes, walking nine over 11 innings, and...
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A look at an improved K.C. team and a couple of minor league notes

A look at an improved K.C. team and a couple of minor league notes
Like the 2012 Orioles, the 2013 Kansas City Royals are looking to bring winning baseball back to their city while ending a long playoff drought. The Royals' last playoff appearance was in 1985, when they won the World Series, and their last winning season was in 2003. They went 72-90 last season. But even after a tough 2-1 loss to the White Sox on Monday, the Royals bring a 17-11 record to Camden Yards tonight to begin a three-game series. Right now, the Royals are closer to first place than...
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The story from extended spring training last week that pleased Buck Showalter

The story from extended spring training last week that pleased Buck Showalter
Here is a story from extended spring training that may not resonate much with the average fan, but when O's manager Buck Showalter was told about it, I heard he was quite pleased. The story was relayed by new Aberdeen IronBirds manager Matt Merullo Saturday at Ripken Stadium during a fan Q and A session on Fan Day in Aberdeen. Merullo, who is currently running the O's extended spring training program in Florida, was asked about the games being played in Sarasota at extended spring. He told...
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Minor league notes on Schoop, Hobgood, Gausman and more

Minor league notes on Schoop, Hobgood, Gausman and more
The Triple-A Norfolk Tides remain the winningest and also the hottest team in the O's minors right now. The Tides beat Syracuse in 11 innings Sunday to conclude a 7-1 homestand at Harbor Park. Here is a look at each of the O's four full-season clubs: Norfolk is 20-10, tied for first and has won nine of its last 10 games. Double-A Bowie is 13-16 and has lost nine of its last 12. Single-A Frederick is 17-13 and tied for first and has won three in a row and seven of its past nine games....
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ESPN injury expert with some thoughts on Dylan Bundy and PRP injections

ESPN injury expert with some thoughts on Dylan Bundy and PRP injections
Dylan Bundy has started his prescribed six weeks of rest after getting a platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection last Monday in his right forearm/elbow area from orthopedic specialist Dr. James Andrews in Gulf Breeze, Fla. An MRI on Bundy's right elbow came back clean. PRP is blood plasma that has been enriched with platelets and stimulates the healing of bone and soft tissue. Zach Britton received a PRP injection last spring because of chronic soreness and weakness in his left shoulder. To...
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